Domestic na Kanojo Ep. 2: Shockingly dull

For a show about a guy getting himself entangled in a love triangle with his two step-sisters, Domestic na Kanojo really knows how to put me right to sleep. I’m sorry, but dumb nonsense like touching your step-sister’s hair doesn’t really get me going. Anyways, let’s pick up where we last left off. Rui doesn’t reprimand Natsuo for trying to kiss an unconscious Hina. Instead, she pretty much says that her big sis was asking for it. Nice. Then we go through a bunch of humdrum anime plot developments like Rui being the new transfer student at Natsuo’s school. Since it’s all about her at the moment, let’s get her stuff out of the way first. We already know that Rui is a bit cold and soft-spoken. When Natsuo drops by to see her a lunch, he’s shocked to find her sitting and eating alone. Well, in contrast to her outgoing big sister, Rui is a bit “socially awkward.” I put those two words in quotes, because sometimes, when someone can’t make friends, it’s not because they’re stumbling over their own words. Sometimes, they’re just massive assholes. Natsuo tries to coach Rui on how to have a pleasant conversation without being downright condescending, but the girl is obviously not even trying. Nevertheless, when the two step-siblings start bickering, not only do they draw a crowd, they somehow impress Rui’s classmates. As a result, they now want to be her friends. Right, sure.

Later after school, Natsuo accidentally walks in on Rui trying to take a bath, ’cause y’know, nobody ever locks their bathroom doors or anything. What an embarrassing moment right out of your average anime romcom, right? Well, not exactly. Before the guy can walk away and stew in his own embarrassment, Rui asks him to join her in the bathroom. Before you start thinking that she wants his hot bod, however, it turns out she just wants to talk. Specifically, she wants to talk about the previous night. She had assumed that Natsuo was an asshole for trying to kiss Hina (he was!), but since he tried so hard to help her make friends today, her previous judgment of his character must be in error! Wait, what? She then asks if he had known about Hina’s recent troubles with her boyfriends. Obviously, Natsuo has no clue what Rui is talking about. Apparently, the girl thought that Natsuo was just trying to cheer Hina up. Again, what? Is that how you cheer a girl up? You wait until she gets hammered then try to make a move on her? Is that what all the fuck boys out there are honestly trying to do? They’re just trying to make the world a better place by cheering women up? Gosh, I feel bad now! I had it wrong this entire time!

Alright, let’s talk about Hina (even though I don’t really want to). Despite being the older step-sister, her interactions with Natsuo at school are still completely inappropriate. Hell, even if she wasn’t his step-sister, I don’t think any teacher should behave like this. Could you imagine a dude leaning in to whisper in one of his female students’ ears? We’d all be grabbing our pitchforks. But because Hina is this hot, young onee-san type (insert lazy “Ara, ara~” jokes here), we’re all like, “Nice…” Anyways, we find out this week that she can’t cook. When their parents go out to celebrate, the two sisters end up cooking dinner. And by the two sisters, I really mean Rui. Nevertheless, Natsuo barely pays her a compliment. Instead, he tries super hard to praise Hina even though all she did was chop up some tomatoes or whatever. Rui probably feels as though she lives in her big sis’s shadow, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she has an inferiority complex that slowly rears its head as this series progresses. Finally, the night ends with Hina having a fight with her boyfriend and storming off to her room to cry. I think I’m supposed to feel bad for her or something, but the woman honestly seems like a hot mess. She flirts with her own student (and step-brother), then comes home to drown her sorrows in hard liquor (I hope it’s not a school night).

Last and certainly least, I don’t have much to say about Natsuo. The way he speaks and carries himself just irks me. He comes across as really whiny. On the surface, his actions may appear thoughtful, but I personally find them a bit obsessive and clingy. For instance, Hina steps outside at one point to have a conversation with her boyfriend (probably ex-boyfriend at this point). She pointedly tells Natsuo not to come outside. Nevertheless, after twenty minutes, the guy is already freaking out and chomping at the bit to “rescue” Hina. Twenty whole minutes, and she didn’t even leave the apartment complex. All she did was step outside. Then when she returns and tells him that she’s alright, he grabs her by the shoulders all dramatically like they’re in some trashy soap opera. Take a chill pill, dude. I just can’t help but laugh at this, because these two barely know each other.

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10 Replies to “Domestic na Kanojo Ep. 2: Shockingly dull”

I can’t help but feel that somebody misguided you into thinking that DnK will be a light-hearted ecchi harem anime. It is not. It is an adaptation of (rather good) Brazilian soap opera in the manga form (200+ chapters as of now) written by a woman in her 30s. The faster you understand it, the easier it will be for you to enjoy the anime a little bit more. Or to drop it sooner, depends on you taste. Oh, and while I’m massively enjoy your vitriolics, please try to not truckle for brownie points that blatantly. It feels rather jarring when you’re overdoing it with your sarcasm.
TL;DR: DnK is like a Goblin Slayer when it comes to interrelation between a first episode of a show and other 11.
P.S. Sorry for my broken English.

Well, I’ve got an impression you were expecting something like that from the title of this piece. Sorry if I was mistaken.
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Everybody knows that one shouldn’t force him/herself on a drunk person. There is no need to dedicate a whole paragraph of a small review to a philippic about that. It felt forced.

It was a part of a paragraph — not a whole paragraph — and I was calling into question Rui’s logic that he was trying to cheer her sister up. Plus, I just write whatever comes to my head at the moment, but you don’t have to believe that if you don’t want to.

Rui is socially awkward so she might have not really understand the implications of his actions. Maybe she genuinely believed Natsuo wanted to cheer Hina up.
Well, and I just wanted to give you a feedback (and some info about the info on the series). If it isn’t welcomed in your blog – okay, I got the hint.

please try to not truckle for brownie points that blatantly. It feels rather jarring when you’re overdoing it with your sarcasm.

If it isn’t welcomed in your blog – okay, I got the hint.

You insinuated that I was being disingenuous, and now you’re surprised that I defended myself? I haven’t insulted you once in this entire exchange, but you’re still throwing jabs at me on your way out. Okay, mate. I’ll help you with your so-called hint.

Brazilian there, what makes this soap opera in manga form be any more brazilian than japanese, american or korean soap operas…? Don’t remember pseudo-incest and teacher-student romance being that common in our Rede Globo telenovellas…